Pop-top or lifted top question

[RJ Howell]

What I'm looking to do (and time is approaching) is to build a lift or pop-top (as you wish to state it).

I've yet to decide which way I will go:
. or.

Yet either way I'm looking for lift arms. What ave you used? Like or dis-like? Where did you source them?

[Aguyfromohio]

Very nice designs!
We used electrical powered lift arms in ours. Use the search term "linear actuator" to find them.

Ours look like this. It appears the same offshore manufacturer is selling them through several distributors, they all look similar.
Shop carefully, prices for the same device are dramatically different from store to store.
The catalogs offer them in many stroke lengths, forces, and speeds. The basic internal construction is a 12 VDC gear motor head driving a lead screw.
Most have a built in limit switch at both ends of travel, it will stop automatically at full open and at full close, so it won't destroy itself.

We bought ours at Everest Parts Supplies.